What was the challenge/problem addressed?

Our solution is based on the promotion of agroforestry management and Ecosystem Services (ES) certification in Portugal (continent and islands). One of the main problems that our solution had to address is the lack of certified ES in agroforestry systems in Portugal – only 17.4% of total cork oak cover in the country has certified management (FSC, 2022). Associated with this, we had to come up with a solution to fulfill the needs for a comprehensive and easy to use online platform, oriented towards forest and agroforestry management and ES certification. This platform was thought of as a way to involve private owners in agroforestry certification using digital tools and as a support system based on best practices. Some landowners live in the city and have recently inherited private land in rural areas (Almeida, 2020). These properties are often left to be passively managed by a third party, or completely abandoned, as most of their owners are away from the land and not properly knowledgeable of agroforests (Almeida, 2020). In this regard, a partnership between agroforestry managers and experts in the field, mediated by i2connect, may be crucial to reach landowners not familiar with new technologies or with agroforestry systems.

References:

Almeida, M. A. (2020). The use of rural areas in Portugal: Historical perspective and the new trends. Revista Galega de Economia, 29(2 Special issue), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.15304/rge.29.2.6750.

Forest Stewardship Council (2022), https://fscportugal.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/742bf14163fa4ede9ba7d9fa41f7e1ce – last accessed on 03/04/2024.

How did you solve the problem?

We are solving this problem by extensively promoting the use of ForestSIM® – an online platform directed towards forest management and ES certification (https://www.2bforest.pt/forestsim). A team of 2BForest regional technicians is working closely with la

What is innovative in your practical case?

Our practical case is built upon the innovations that were brought by the ForestSIM® platform to the forestry sector – more specifically to forest management and ES certification. With the partnership that we hope to establish within i2connect, we aim to

What are the success factors in solving the problem?

One of the main success factors in solving our problem is the large and pioneering experience that 2BForest has gained in the fields of forest management and ES certification in Portugal. Our regional technicians, working closely with landowners, are able

Lessons learned

One of the main lessons learned is that there seems to be a need to develop a simplified version of the ForestSIM® platform (in the form of a mobile app) to strengthen the bond between less tech-savvy landowners and agroforestry certification. Nonetheless, most agroforestry owners respond well to face-to-face meetings concerning certification and best practices. In this regard, the work of regional technicians will always be essential to ensure the involvement of private landowners in the process. Also, although these investors could gain more from certified agroforestry management and ES provision, efforts still must be made to overcome the aforementioned socio-economic and socio-ecological issues. A network of interconnected forest professionals, such as managers, technicians and associations, could definitely achieve a higher participation from landowners in the certification process. For instance, by having more private investors interested in agroforestry certification, we could gather more data on the effects of distinct management models to increase the provision of carbon storage/sequestration services in these type of systems.

What role does the advisor or advisory service play with the practical case?

By gaining knowledge from i2connect advisory services, we could seize the opportunity to improve the ForestSIM® platform by developing effective design decisions on new features related to agroforestry, in the hopes of reaching more landowners invested in

Can your approach be transferred and/or adapted for other innovation challenges and regions?

Yes

Estimated transferability on a scale from 1 to 5

(where 1 is easy and 5 very difficult)

3

For sharing the experience on the good practice, please contact 

Susana Brígido

sbrigido@2bforest.pt

Link to external information

https://www.2bforest.pt/forestsim